Blind Date returns - but who will host it?

Grace Newton

Mystery surrounds the identity of the new presenter of revived TV hit Blind Date.

Thirteen years since it last aired, the ITV dating show is to return to our screens this year after Channel Five secured the rights to it.

The 90s classic enjoyed an 18-year run fronted by host Cilla Black, who tragically died in 2015.

Producers haven't confirmed who will replace her as presenter - but it's thought a female anchor will be chosen.

Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison and actresses Georgia May Foote and Helen Flanagan are rumoured to have been approached, although the programme makers could also choose singer Olly Murs.

The new format - described as 'sexier' and more modern - will be produced by So Television, who also make The Graham Norton Show.

With online dating apps having burst onto the singles scene since the show was last on our screens, Blind Date is being pitched as having more substance than Tinder, with contestants having to 'earn' the right to a date.

The original show ran from 1985 until 2003, when Cilla Black announced she was quitting the role while live on air.